BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2019--An effort to negotiate a licensing agreement turned ugly when executives from FunFlicks, LLC conspired to put one of its competitors out of business by stealing its trade secrets and defaming its owners, according to a lawsuit filed last year by Ultimate Outdoor Movies, LLC in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Among other issues, the outdoor entertainment company seeks damages for lost business and defamation by defendants FunFlicks Audio Visuals, James N. Gaither of Baltimore, MD, Todd Severn of Baltimore, MD, Charles Hunter of Bakersfield, CA and Matthew Dias of Visalia, CA. According to the lawsuit, the men and FunFlicks conspired to interfere with the business operations of Ultimate Outdoor, steal client lists and intercept e-mails in violation of wiretapping laws, and spread defamatory rumors and lies about the company’s owner Laura Landers. Ultimate Outdoor said it has lost more than $1.5 million due to the conspiratorial acts referenced in the lawsuit.

Ultimate Outdoor had been successfully operating an outdoor movie and entertainment business in territories throughout the United States. According to the lawsuit, when the licensor of those territories changed, FunFlicks and the defendants pretended to negotiate a new licensing agreement with Ultimate Outdoor while, in fact, conspiring to destroy Ultimate Outdoor’s business. The lawsuit states that the defendants stole client lists, spied on the company and stole trade secrets, hacked into email servers to divert potential contracts and payments, interfered with employees and managers, diverted website traffic and sent defamatory and false e-mails to Ultimate Outdoor clients.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants caused injury to the plaintiffs’ business through fraud, deceit, trickery and unfair methods and characterized the actions as knowing, intentional, wanton, willful, malicious, oppressive and in bad faith.

The lawsuit seeks damages of several million dollars and asks the court to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the defendants from continuing to divert emails and profit from ill-gotten gains. Among other requests for injunctive relief, Ultimate Outdoor asks the court for a permanent injunction preventing the defendants from competing in the movie business in Ultimate Outdoor’s territories for five years.